Saturday, January 28th, 2017
This past week I have been busy pouring over research done on red light therapy for weight loss.
I am planning to put it all together for you in a logical, documented, comprehensive type of way, however, I am moved right now to simply tell you what I’ve learned so far, because I think it’s all you really need to know.
First of all, red light therapy for weight loss is legit.
It was discovered around the year 1998 when a liposuction doctor did red light therapy for his patient before the procedure. The doctor knew that red light was helping reduce pain, inflammation, swelling, and speed recovery time in other fields of medicine, so he wanted to see if he could bring all those benefits to his patient, too.
Well, in addition to all those benefits he also found that during the liposuction procedure, the fat was much, much easier to remove.
Research into this discovered that the red light actually had caused the fat cells to dump their contents. After 8 minutes of exposure to red light, almost 100% of the fat cells were empty.
So then “LLLT or laser assisted liposuction” became a thing, and it is still a thing.
But if the fat cells simply dump their contents after exposure to red light, is the liposuction even necessary?
Further research proved not.
Red light alone causes fat cells to release their contents. Your body thereafter takes care of it.
How? That was my big question. The weight loss, overall, is measured in inches. Waist, hips, thighs combined, but still, measured in inches. Where does all that fat go?
I googled it, just like you probably will. This is the answer I got. By pure and what I’m sure to someone is simple biochemistry, fat is converted to carbon dioxide and water. Mostly the carbon dioxide. So, most of the fat is literally being breathed out, and most of the rest is peed out. I know it sounds crazy, but chemistry is a fairly well established science.
So now. What kind of light did they use? Is it magic?
The first studies used a low power laser. Really low power for a laser – 10 mW.
Since that power density falls well into the capability of LEDs, more recent research was done with LEDs. Same results.
Bottom line – red light therapy for weight loss does not need to be done with a laser. LEDs of the same color and power density will do exactly the same thing.
Does it have to be exactly the same power? Nope. Some people might try to sell you on power. Their laser is more powerful, therefore more effective, they say.
Well this makes sense to our American guts, but it’s simply not the truth.
It was clear from the original research that power is not the thing. The laser does not, “blast holes” in the cells, because the laser is super powerful. It was only 10 mW.
It’s not the laser that does anything. It’s the light coming out of the laser. Specifically, it’s the red light coming out of the laser. And red light coming out of any light source will do the same thing, if the power, wavelength, and treatment time is the same.
So what about wavelength? The original researched used 635 nm. Is that magic? No. Other research used 635 – 680nm. That is roughly the entire spectrum of visible red light. And that makes sense, because red light therapy as a whole is not wavelength specific.
What does that mean for you? That means you don’t need exactly 635 nm red light for this to work. I imagine the price of 635 nm red light is going to go through the roof (I haven’t gotten as far as product research yet), but it’s not necessary. If a 660 nm red light is more affordable for you, you can be confident it will do the same thing. So will 630 nm and 650 nm – ignore the wavelength, focus on the color. Red light is what you need.
While you’re out there doing your research you’re going to read stuff that says, “yeah but after only 2 weeks or so, they started gaining the weight back.”
Does that mean the weight did not disappear in the first place?
Naturally if you do not make any changes to the lifestyle that led you to gain excess weight, you will gradually keep gaining excess weight.
I read one thing that said, your body shape is determined genetically, and over time your body will redistribute it’s stored fat in the same shape.
So the miracle does meet reality after a period of time. However, the miracle has been repeatedly proven to happen, such that it’s not a miracle, it’s science.
Red light therapy for weight loss is science. Junk food for weight gain is science. Align those two sciences together, and you can see some serious, positive, lasting results.
I love this because it’s going to give some hope to obese people who have literally tried everything and just can’t seem to lose weight. For people who are dedicated to improving their health by weight loss and just need some kind of help – this will be like a miracle for them. Question is, does it have to cost thousands of dollars?
No.
This is red light therapy. On the market for over a decade, FDA approved for a growing list of other things already. Easy to buy, easy to use, totally safe (the FDA approved devices, at least), but most of all affordable.
I know you need more guidance on what to buy and how to use it. I’ll be working on that.
In the meantime, know that red light therapy for weight loss is a reality.
